Burn
by LucidRush
Summary: She was uncomfortable. Her skin was crawling, still buzzing with the aftershocks of her rebirth, her clothes were too tight, and her hearts beat triple-time in her chest.


She honestly thought she had more time. She could feel the tell-tale burn of regeneration energy searing it's way through her chest and the edges of her vision darkened. Even after all the warnings she had given Soul before they left the TARDIS about the local fauna she had gone and gotten herself bitten by the deadliest spider in the local cluster. Some Time Lady she was.

She let her eyes drift to Soul, on the other side the console, absently rubbing at the top of the scar starting at his collar. Another failure on another planet. She let her eyes drift closed and sighed. She didn't have to look to know that golden particles of time energy danced in the air before her mouth. Soul's sharp gasp let her know that he'd seen it.

He was at her side the next second and a warmth that was entirely not related to her imminent death blossomed in her chest.

"Doctor, are you alright?!" His hand caressed her could laugh, he was so precious to her and she hadn't even told him this body's name.

"Maka." His face scrunched in confusion and by Rassilon even as she was dying he managed to set her hearts fluttering.

"It's my real name, well - This version of me anyway." She saw the confusion vanish from his eyes, probably remembering the day they meant, witnessing her last regeneration from dark skin and bandages to knobby knees and pigtails.

"What - What happened? Is there anything..." He trailed off, looking lost, his hand clasped over hers on the TARDIS console, as if he could physically keep her here, from the inevitable.

"On Edenia, the Jackal Spider..." His mouth fell open as she pulled up her sleeve and there, at the crook of her elbow, blackened, necrotic skin surrounding two tiny punctures.

"There's nothing - Nothing that can fix it?" His voice was small and cracked and she could see unshed tears in his eyes no matter how hard he tried to blink them away.

"No, complete cellular breakdown. There's a reason I told you to be careful." She laughed. He looked like he wanted to hit something.

"But _you _weren't careful, damn it! You're too important to just die like this!"

"Soul, you marvelous human. You've been absolutely wonderful."

"You can't die, Maka, not like this."

"It's okay, I'll still be around, we'll still travel together, see the stars." Even as she said this a dull ache throbbed in her chest and the tears finally fell from Soul's piercing scarlet eyes.

She pulled her hand from his and cupped his cheek, her thumb dabbing away a tear. The fire in her veins licked at her skin and she could see the faint golden glow spreading down her limbs. It was almost time. She gave him one last watery smile and pressed a gentle kiss to his jaw and backed away slowly.

"Remember, I'll still be me." But that wasn't completely true. The thought was bitter. She could remember her previous bodies quite clearly. The heat was almost overwhelming now and her clothes felt stifling. Soul looked torn between wanting to race to her side and crumpling in on himself and the flash of jealousy that speared her heart that her new self would be the one to be with him shocked her. She wasn't going to be completely herself anymore

With a flash the fire of regeneration took her, consuming gold flame searing the TARDIS floor and Soul had to duck to shield his face from the intensity of the supernova but just as quickly as it had sparked to life, the fire died out. She was uncomfortable. Her skin was crawling, still buzzing with the aftershocks of her rebirth, her clothes were too tight, and her hearts beat triple-time in her chest.

She caught her reflection in the metal walls of the TARDIS, pink hair, slightly fuller bust, and a few more inches in height, maybe now Soul wouldn't tower over her. She let her gaze move from her reflection to her dumbfounded companion. He hadn't moved from the console, his hand in a white-knuckle grip on the arm of the chair.

She took a shake-y step towards him, ignoring the spasming in her new muscles. He swallowed hard, a tear dripped from his cheek. Another few, struggling steps and she was next to him, she let her hand pry his from the console and lace her fingers with his. She leaned up and planted a quick kiss to the edge of his mouth and her hearts fluttered when he gave her a gentle kiss back.

She took a half-step back, her hand still clasping his.

"So, be honest, how do I look?"


End file.
